Pretty Persuasions - InDIY Coax Build Thread

[JavadS]

Little more done tonight, I started by sanding the kerfed areas, this was a little nerve racking as I didn’t want to sand through, after using this technique below by hand I finally built up some confidence and carefully sanded it with 150 grit in my RO sander, that went well. I was able to almost completely sand out the kerfs but I’m not sure I want to go all the way, see images below



After finish sanding the whole enclosure with 220, I applied a 1/2” roundover to all top, back and bottom edges



Trick with a 1/4” shank bit, bury it in the collet to prevent any flex of the shaft for a smoother cut.



Barely any burning or marks, full speed and full pass, ready for a quick sand with 220







Left edge after sanding, right before





All sanded and ready for the next step!







Thanks!
Javad

[JavadS]

Ok so I pulled the first top/bottom CLD glue up out of the clamps, and I glued up the second enclosure. BTW this is what a loaded up bar clamp is supposed to look like =)



This is what I started with after the glue dried. Notice the masking tape over the kerfs, since it’s common for the flush cut bit to skim the surface, this helps protect the relatively thin top layer of the kerf



Spiral cut up cut bit by CMT, really nice cuts like a dream



And after the flush cut





Tape off





I did some quick initial sanding with 80 grit, I’ll be sanding the kerfs by hand as to not sand too deep, finally starting to look like a speaker!

[JavadS]

Ok, let’s get back to it, enough ********!

Vlog detailing the doweling and clamping process

https://youtu.be/4dimHqwhx2Y

Back glued on, time to do some flush trimming... Had an issue that the back was square and didn’t match the 3 degree taper of the sides, a normal flush bit but won’t work due to the angle.

Simple solution is a flush trim bit and some 3/4” MDF, I set the bit depth to just under 3/4”, a small 1/64” lip will be easily sanded off. (BTW got this Bosc Router for $79, really nice unit)





Top and bottom were easily flush trimmed with a 1/4” bit





Now ready for some CLD! I know I said I was going to use the silicone, and it would work well, but I decided I didn’t want to deal with squeeze out on this so here we have two 2x2 sheets of 40 durometer sorbothane



Rough cut to size



Glue applied to enclosure



Doweled top and bottom pieces about to be trimmed



Trimming in my new 14” band saw



Sorbothane glued to enclosure



Wood glue applied to wood and more adhesive applied to sorbothane, I did a glue up of both ends at the same time





Clamp up



Nice tight joints even on the kerfed areas which tend not to be perfectly flat after bending





More to come thanks!
Javad

[JavadS]

I would love to hear these speakers! Sent from my SM-T550 using Tapatalk

Come to InDIYana =)

[ellisr63]

I would love to hear these speakers! Sent from my SM-T550 using Tapatalk

[JavadS]

Javad, I see you tested the kerfing with plywood before using the solid poplar. What is your opinion of the two? Does the poplar kerf better, worse or indifferent compared to plywood?

I’d say plywood is the ideal kerfing material, better than MDF which is more brittle, good Baltic Birch ply would be even better. Due to the alternating grain patterns it bends very predictably, solid wood wants to break so it’s less easy to work with, but as you can see I had no issue making solid Poplar work.

[a4eaudio]

Javad, I see you tested the kerfing with plywood before using the solid poplar. What is your opinion of the two? Does the poplar kerf better, worse or indifferent compared to plywood?

[xmax]

Gotta love Harbor Freight clamps!

[JavadS]

Some detail locating and doweling panels Holes drilled and located



Dowel center transfer inserts



Dowels finalized top and bottom



Inner port supports finalized and glued in



Glue applied to attach back, Titebond Premium around outside, Loctite construction adhesive around the braces as these don’t all fit perfectly flush to the back panel



I built this special clamping fixture as there are no square corners to clamp to



The foam pad protects the front from any damage and spreads out the load when compressed



Back clamped on, this made me nervous as the kerfs aren’t super tough and I was a little concerned about applying too much pressure to the enclosure, but the braces and inner ribs have taken any load off the kerfs, held up great





Thanks!
Javad

[JavadS]

Lots of good ideas here. My mind is spinning with ideas for my next build. Your template process is excellent. The only down side that I can think of is that this would not work if the contour radius of the driver flange fell below the radius of the router base. But I would imagine that this problem, if it came up with a particular driver flange, could be solved by installing a custom router base. Keep up the good work. That driver flange fits like a glove!!

Thanks Bill! Yea I haven’t seen a driver yet that has any inverted features that the base wouldn’t track on, the good thing as well is the base amplifies any features bigger and translates them back smaller on the second sacrificial template pass. Javad

[JavadS]

Thanks Javad. How long are the Jasper Jig pins?

Off the top of my head about 1” long, maybe 1.25”

[scottvalentin]

Good question! Just insert the pin and it bottoms out on the base, no problem. Also be sure you’re removing the router base and replacing it with the jasper jig, don’t overlay it on the stock base. HTH, Javad

Thanks Javad. How long are the Jasper Jig pins?

[4thtry]

Lots of good ideas here. My mind is spinning with ideas for my next build. Your template process is excellent. The only down side that I can think of is that this would not work if the contour radius of the driver flange fell below the radius of the router base. But I would imagine that this problem, if it came up with a particular driver flange, could be solved by installing a custom router base. Keep up the good work. That driver flange fits like a glove!!

[JavadS]

Here's a circle cutting question Javad: I just got the Bosch 1617 plunge router for Christmas, and I noticed that the base is fairly large. How do you go about cutting out smaller circles where the guide pin for the jig would end up under the router base? For instance, the SB19 tweeter rebate that I need to do next is a 44mm radius, this will put the guide pin under the black base. My circle guide is a piece of acrylic that I screw to the bottom. Then I measure from the outside of the cutting bit to circle's centre (44mm) and drill a hole in the acrylic. Like a Jasper jig, but a fair bit cheaper!

Good question! Just insert the pin and it bottoms out on the base, no problem. Also be sure you’re removing the router base and replacing it with the jasper jig, don’t overlay it on the stock base. HTH, Javad

[scottvalentin]

Here's a circle cutting question Javad:
I just got the Bosch 1617 plunge router for Christmas, and I noticed that the base is fairly large. How do you go about cutting out smaller circles where the guide pin for the jig would end up under the router base? For instance, the SB19 tweeter rebate that I need to do next is a 44mm radius, this will put the guide pin under the black base. My circle guide is a piece of acrylic that I screw to the bottom. Then I measure from the outside of the cutting bit to circle's centre (44mm) and drill a hole in the acrylic. Like a Jasper jig, but a fair bit cheaper!